Cuisine
T
he award-winning Viceroy,
Riviera Maya continues to
rack-up endless “best of”
accolades, but perhaps their
most powerful secret weapon
is their talented Chef, Jetzabel
Rojas Barragán. I managed to catch
up with this busy young woman after
she had just knocked them dead at
the 2014 Cancun-Rivera Maya Wine
& Food festival. It’s interesting (and
a little sad in this day and age) to
note that she was the only local
female chef that participated in
this gourmet event.
Jetzabel (which means “Queen”)
grew up in a big family, surrounded
by a bevy of females who cooked
and were all fabulous cooks. One
grandmother, who lived in Veracruz,
instilled in her a deep respect for
seafood, while the other granny,
in Nogales, taught her how to
use various chilies to produce
amazing sauces.
Jetzabel, who realized early on
that cooking was her life’s passion,
enrolled in the Culinary Institute of
Mexico in 1999 in Puebla, to further
hone her skills. Upon graduation, she
headed to the United States where
she was exposed to a variety of new
cuisines and talented chefs, namely
Thomas Keller, who has greatly
influenced her cooking style.
Since she started cooking at
The Viceroy, Chef Jetzabel Rojas
Barragán’s mission has been to take
back her culinary heritage. After
having the pleasure of dining on
her creative cuisine, I’d say she
completed her mission with
flying colors.
When did you first know you
wanted to be a chef?
I always enjoyed cooking with my
family. I was an only child so I hung
around with my aunties a lot. My
father grew up in Oaxaca with five
sisters. When we went to visit, I
would get up with them at 4AM to
make masa for tortillas. My parents
were both teachers, so we had two
months off each summer where we
would visit my grandmother on the
coast in Veracruz and eat marvelous
seafood. My mother wanted me
to get a job doing something like
being a reporter, but I always knew
I wanted to be a chef. But she’s
very proud of me now and loves
my tamales.
Do you travel much?
Not really, because I’m too busy
putting in long days here overseeing
both restaurants., so now I “travel
the web” for my inspiration. We have
Banana Leaf Steamed Halibut
many international guests here
who have eaten all over the world,
so I want to make them happy. I
have traveled to the United States,
where I had some wonderful food,
particularly in Santa Monica.
Although I didn’t get to meet
him, one of my biggest influences
is Thomas Keller. I like the way he
works with his suppliers and growers
and he really loves what he does.
Was that your proudest moment?
No, it’s probably when after trying
my food, many guests beg me to
write a cookbook. Also, I was very
excited when Chef Daniel Boulud,
who was being honored at this year’s
Cancun-Rivera Maya Wine & Food
festival, tasted my salad and said
he really liked it and asked me what
was in it. I told him, “Braised sweet
potato salad, foam of goat cheese,
ground of pumpkin seeds, native
melipona honey and kastacan
vinaigrette, oil of xcatic and chaya,
fresh watercress”.
Is there a culinary trend that you
would like to change?
Yes, I think people eat way too much
meat. I would like to expose them to
more seafood. Some years down the
line, I would like to open my own
seafood restaurant.
Is there a cuisine you would like to
learn more about?
I would like to learn how to cook
Indian food.
What three ingredients would you
bring to a desert island?
Tomato, garlic and epazote
(a pungent Mexican herb).
If you could cook for anyone,
who would it be?
I would love to cook for the Pope.
What do you enjoy doing when
you’re not in the kitchen?
I take my iPod and read on the beach
and then grab a bite at one of the
seafood beach shacks.
pepper on brunoise, add salt and
pepper.
What advice do you have for other
women who want to become chefs?
Be very sure that you really want to
do this because it’s very hard work.
You have to work twice as hard as
the men and give up a lot. You’ll be
working holidays and will not be
around for birthdays, anniversaries,
and other family occasions. But if
you’re prepared to work hard, it can
be very rewarding.
Blanching the chaya leaf and filled
with the plantain puree.
If you were going to get a tattoo,
what would it be?
I already have a few. My favorite is a
big skeleton wielding a big knife and
whip, saying “Born to be a chef.”
To serve put coulisse piquillo
pepper on the bottom, them the
chaya-plantain and finally on the
top the sea bass.
Slow Fire Pan
Seared Sea Bass
This is one of the Viceroy’s most
popular seafood dishes courtesy of
Chef Jetzabel Rojas.
Total Time: 1hr
Active Time: 1hr
Makes 2 servings
1 Fillet of Sea Bass
Achiote (as need)
Amaranth
80g Plantain
15g butter
Ground Nutmeg
Ground Cinnamon
1 piece of red pepper
4 pieces of chaya leaf
Piquillo coulisse
Salt and pepper
Season the Sea Bass fillet with
salt and pepper.
Marinate with the achiote.
Set aside.
Bake de plantain with butter,
nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Mashed and mixed with red bell
51
Crusted the Sea Bass with
amaranth seed and seared.
For the coulisse, with a red bell
pepper take of